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Stevonnie
| nationality = American }} Stevonnie ( ) is a fictional character from the 2013 animated series Steven Universe, created by Rebecca Sugar. A "fusion" of the protagonist Steven Universe and his friend Connie Maheswaran, Stevonnie has the appearance of an androgynous young adult. First introduced in the episode "Alone Together", Stevonnie only appears occasionally in the series. Character One of the core concepts in Steven Universe is a process referred to as "fusion", in which two Gem characters merge into one being who is physically larger and stronger. Fusion is used by the writers of the show as a metaphor for a range of types of intimacy and relationships. The episode "Alone Together", first broadcast January 15, 2015, focuses on protagonist Steven's first experience with fusion while dancing with his friend Connie. Steven and Connie identify as male and female respectively, but Stevonnie's gender is difficult to describe. Steven Universe's creator, Rebecca Sugar, has responded to an inquiry on Stevonnie's gender—whether Stevonnie is agender, bigender, or something else—by stating that "Stevonnie is an experience! The living relationship between Steven and Connie." Sugar described Stevonnie as a complex and specific metaphor that becomes relatable as it takes shape in the form of a unique character. Besides challenging gender norms, Stevonnie serves as a metaphor for "terrifying firsts in a first relationship," the feeling of hitting puberty, and objectification. .]] Stevonnie is commonly referred to using gender neutral pronouns (such as the [[Singular they|singular they]]), and both male and female characters seem to be physically attracted to Stevonnie. In a 2019 public service announcement about self-esteem and social media, Stevonnie shows an Instagram profile describing them as non-binary and intersex. Appearances Stevonnie appears only occasionally in episodes of Steven Universe. In "Alone Together", Steven and Connie fuse for the first time, and Stevonnie enjoys the capabilities of their new body before having an anxiety attack at a party and fending off unwelcome advances from Kevin, an arrogant teenager. Other episodes in which Stevonnie plays a starring role include the third-season episode "Beach City Drift", in which they challenge Kevin to a car race; the fourth-season episode "Mindful Education", in which Garnet teaches them mindfulness meditation to deal with difficult emotions; and the fifth season's "Jungle Moon", in which they are stranded on an alien planet. In a March 2017 comic (written by Melanie Gillman and drawn by Katy Farina and Whitney Cogar), Stevonnie goes with supporting character Kiki Pizza to her school prom. At the dance, Stevonnie has another anxiety attack, after which Steven and Connie discuss whether they are lying to Kiki about their identity. Impact Meredith Woerner of io9 described Stevonnie as a "big game changer character" for Steven Universe, who got a strong reaction from fans of the series. Writing for Towleroad.com, Charles Pulliam-Moore stated that Stevonnie deepened the way that watchers understood some of Steven Universe s core characters. Carli Velocci, writing for Polygon commented that Stevonnie is a positive metaphor for consent, in an entirely non-sexual context. Greta Christina of AlterNet noted that Steven and Connie continued to check in with one another during the first experience as Stevonnie, which she described as "an amazing example of ongoing, active consent." Vrai Kaiser of The Mary Sue said of the character that "there are few things more refreshing than seeing children's media acknowledge that feeling negative emotions is a part of life. Taking a tack not dissimilar to Inside Out, the show uses visual metaphor to deal with complex, intangible emotions." Animated series airing on television networks Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon have shown a greater amount of LGBT visibility since 2010, with shows such as The Legend of Korra and Adventure Time including same-sex relationships. Steven Universe has a significant amount of LGBT representation as well, featuring multiple feminine characters that show romantic attraction directed to each other. As a genderqueer character, Stevonnie follows this same movement, and has encouraged people to be more open about their gender. References External links * Stevonnie on IMDb Category:Steven Universe characters Category:LGBT characters in animation Category:Fictional androgynes Category:Fictional non-binary people Category:Fictional duos Category:Fictional intersex characters Category:Fictional shapeshifters Category:Fictional swordsmen Category:Fictional gestalt entities Category:Fictional characters introduced in 2015